Texas congressmen up in arms over White House tour cancellations

On Tuesday, White House officials announced tours of the president’s home will be cancelled until further notice because of sequestration. Ever since, Texas lawmakers have expressed outraged at the decision.

Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler proposed an amendment to the 2013 continuing spending resolution on the House floor Tuesday that would prevent the government from funding President Obama’s golf trips, the Huffington Post reports. Obama’s most recent golf game was with famed golfer Tiger Woods.

“None of the funds made available by a division of this act may be used to transport the president to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House resume,” the amendment states.

Rep. Ralph Hall of Rockwall signed a letter on Wednesday, along with other members of congress sent to the President against the cancellations. In a statement, Hall expressed his disappointment in Obama for using “scare tactics” on the American people.

“The President should set spending priorities and cut wasteful and duplicative programs rather than cut access for the American people to their own White House,” he said.

On Facebook, Rep. Joe Barton announced the cancellations to followers, adding “I believe the White House belongs to the people. I do not think sequestration materially affects the staffing of the White House in terms of guards, security, etc. This act seems to me to be more of a political statement than a true requirement of sequestration.”

Reps. Kevin Brady, Ted Poe, John Culberson, Steve Stockman, Blake Farenthold, Ralph Hall, and Sen. Ted Cruz all tweeted their reactions to the announced cancellations and suggesting where they felt money should be cut.

The White House belongs to the people, but the President is sequestering White House tours while the TSA spends on new uniforms? #CutWaste